Saints

Summary

A Christian title, similar to disciple, used to refer to followers of God; later specifically indicated members of the church.1 In the New Testament, Paul referred to the early Christians as “saints.”2 This usage paralleled statements in the Book of Mormon referring to Saints as those who belong to the “church of the Lamb” and “they which have believed in the Holy One of Israel.”3 Early revelatory texts specifically designated those who would welcome Christ’s second coming as Saints.4 A March 1831 revelation stated that the forthcoming New Jerusalem would be “a place of safety for the saints of the most high God.”5 By 1832, the term Saint had largely replaced disciple, an earlier designation of followers, perhaps to distinguish members of the church from followers of Alexander Campbell’s Disciples of Christ, located nearby in Ohio.6 See also “Disciple.”